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NBD! First G&L!

#21
Its possible that your bass has developed a case of "ski jump" from over-zealous use of the neck micro tilt screw. Try running a straight edge down your neck and see if you can notice any bumps/bulging on the fret board around the neck pocket area.

But try lowering the pickups first. What you're describing really sounds like a string hitting a pole piece.
 
#22
Seriously, just try slipping a thin piece of magazine paper or similar behind the neck heel. That will tell you if m-t is in action. If it fits in there easily, then you've likely got too much m-t. Lessening m-t is a good thing and an easy minimal risk affair. Over cranking the neck screws with m-t over engaged can definitely get you into trouble.
 
#24
spufman said:
I have a '91 SB-2 as well, love it. That P is super-hot, it's the loudest of all my basses, active or passive. Turn down its volume! Micro-tilt is the adjustment at the neck pocket to change the neck angle - you get at the adjuster through the little hole at the pointy part of the neck plate. If you can slip a thin piece of paper under the heel at all, then the micro-tilt is engaged. Search out the G&L setup manual online for better detail, but you basically loosen the screw near the adjuster a little, and loosen the other two screws a little less. Then using the appropriate allen wrench, turn the m-t adjuster a very small amount (a little goes a long way). You might hear it clunk. Clockwise increases angle. Then kinda shift the neck around to get it settled and slowly tighten the screws in the reverse order. Don't crank the cr@p out of them, but of course make sure they're tight. Of my 3 G&Ls, to get my preferred action I need a little micro-tilt in 2 of them (one being my '91 SB-2). Not much, though.
Click to expand...

Just wanted to say thanks for this info! Going to take a look at it now.
 
#27
Lazarus.Bird said:
So with the micro tilt, turning the screw clockwise would simulate shimming the neck (pushing the fretboard closer to the strings near the body) and turning it clockwise would increase this distance?
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Exactly (though I assume you meant counterclockwise for increasing the distance). I've found that with too much m-t I get a lower position clanking that might be what you're talking about.
 
#28
Oops yes I meant counter clockwise the second time. I did end up adjusting the micro tilt a bit. I also went back and did a complete setup again based on the G&L manual and think I did a better job. I'm still getting this noise, even after dropping the pick ups down as far as the screws would tighten. Both my ATK and Roadstar clank a bit but the pickups don't pick it up. I have to put the G&L at like 20% volume for it to not pick up the clanking, but then it seems to lose the aggression. Maybe putting chromes on will help. Going to see how the bass sounds through my SVT tomorrow.

I guess it may just be a combination of the MFD pickups, the strings and the fact that I'm used to playing a p-bass with the tone knob rolled all the way off. I might need to install a tone mod on this guy!
 

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